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Mapping the Money: A Changing Landscape of Human Rights Funding February 14, 2018 Ten Strategic Recommendations for Funders 1. Human rights must become tangible at the local level. We must invest in work to help everyday people see what human rights means in relation to their own lives. It is critical to develop mechanisms to get money to the local level. 2. We have to help our grantee partners find their footing in this moment and expand leadership and capacity. “Sitting on our resources at a moment when the world is burning is unacceptable.” 3. We must be more proactive in our funding to support our grantees to both manage and mitigate backlash before it reaches critical levels. 4. In this moment, what we don’t say—as funders—matters. Our silence can stop the organizations we believe in from speaking up and acting out. “This is not a time for hesitancy.” Our communities are under attack. 5. We can use data to be more strategic in our grantmaking and more collaborative with our peers. 6. Data can build community and evidence in analyzing our collective funding. 7. As human rights activists and funders, we should diversify strategies that we use and support. 8. There is still a critical role for research, particularly in understanding the complexity of the challenges we are dealing with as a movement and how to combat delegitimizing narratives. For example, public opinion research is crucial to inform messaging. 9. Smaller strategic shifts can lay the groundwork for larger strategic shifts by fostering hard conversations with lower risks/costs and by allowing space for experimentation/pilots. This can be particularly useful when leadership or constituents are not yet supportive of these shifts. 10. Data presents an opportunity to hear directly from people and communities we serve.

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Page 1: Ten Strategic Recommendations for Funders · 2019-11-20 · Ten Strategic Recommendations for Funders 1. Human rights must become tangible at the local level. We must invest in work

MappingtheMoney:AChangingLandscapeofHumanRightsFundingFebruary14,2018

TenStrategicRecommendationsforFunders

1. Humanrightsmustbecometangibleatthelocallevel.Wemustinvestinworktohelpeverydaypeopleseewhathumanrightsmeansinrelationtotheirownlives.Itiscriticaltodevelopmechanismstogetmoneytothelocallevel.

2. Wehavetohelpourgranteepartnersfindtheirfootinginthismomentandexpandleadershipandcapacity.“Sittingonourresourcesatamomentwhentheworldisburningisunacceptable.”

3. Wemustbemoreproactiveinourfundingtosupportourgranteestobothmanageandmitigatebacklashbeforeitreachescriticallevels.

4. Inthismoment,whatwedon’tsay—asfunders—matters.Oursilencecanstoptheorganizationswebelieveinfromspeakingupandactingout.“Thisisnotatimeforhesitancy.”Ourcommunitiesareunderattack.

5. Wecanusedatatobemorestrategicinourgrantmakingandmorecollaborativewithourpeers.6. Datacanbuildcommunityandevidenceinanalyzingourcollectivefunding.7. Ashumanrightsactivistsandfunders,weshoulddiversifystrategiesthatweuseandsupport.8. Thereisstillacriticalroleforresearch,particularlyinunderstandingthecomplexityofthe

challengeswearedealingwithasamovementandhowtocombatdelegitimizingnarratives.Forexample,publicopinionresearchiscrucialtoinformmessaging.

9. Smallerstrategicshiftscanlaythegroundworkforlargerstrategicshiftsbyfosteringhardconversationswithlowerrisks/costsandbyallowingspaceforexperimentation/pilots.Thiscanbeparticularlyusefulwhenleadershiporconstituentsarenotyetsupportiveoftheseshifts.

10. Datapresentsanopportunitytoheardirectlyfrompeopleandcommunitiesweserve.

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InTheirOwnWords

AsVictoriaDunning,nowattheFordFoundation,taughtmelongago,“Inourefforts,weshouldacceptnostorieswithoutnumbersandnonumberswithoutstories.”

–CaitlinStanton,DirectorofPartnershipsUrgentActionFundforWomen’sHumanRights

Iamcurrentlyworkingonbringinglocalphilanthropiestogetherwithgreenphilanthropies.Everyissuehasasuccessstoryatthelocallevel.Mobilizationacrossmovementsmustbringthelocaltogetherwiththeglobal.

–AnaMaríaEnriquez,CoordinatorWomenTerritory&ClimateJusticeLatinAmericanGrantmakers

Oneoftheinternalcritiqueswehaveashumanrightsadvocatesisthatprofessionalizationandemphasisonlegaltoolshasseparatedhumanrightsadvocatesfrompeopleinmovementswhoaremobilizing.ThisbringstomindastoryofahumanrightsorganizationinBarcelonawritingareportintheirofficeaboutausterity.Atthatmoment,aloudmarchpassesbyoutside.Theirfirstinstinctwastoclosethewindowandfocusonhowtoframethisreport.Inthemeantime,thiswasamarchaboutausterityliterallyoutsidetheirwindow.Sotheywentoutintothestreetstojointhemarch.

–ClaretVargas,ResearcherandDirectorofInternationalization,Dejusticia

Therewasamomentinthemarriageequalitymovementwhenweknewweweregoingtowin.Therewasafeelingof“enough”atthegrassrootslevel;peoplewereshowingupattownhallssaying“we’regoingtogetmarried.”Andofcoursethoseofusinvolvedweretryingtopreparefolksforpressinterviewsandwereworryingiftheyweregoingtosaytherightthing.Butatsomepointwehadtosay,“Letitgo.Letitrip.”Bythethirteenthstate,weknewitwasinevitable.Unstoppable.

–TimSweeney,Advisor,PrideFoundation

TheAdvancingHumanRightsresearchreflectsourcollectivepowerashumanrightsfunders.“Thealmost11billiondollars[mappedoverfiveyears]isus,ournetworks,ourfundingcommunity.”Inadditiontoilluminatingthecurrentstateofhumanrightsfunding,theresearchcanhelpfundersthinkabouthowwecandobetter:“Whenwethinkaboutthefuture,it’snotaboutgettingbacktothestatusquo,buthavingavisionforhowtotakeitbeyondjustreclaimingwhatwefeelwe’velost.”

–JennaCapeci,DeputyDirector,HumanRightsFundersNetwork

Weashumanrightsfundersknowthatwinsdonothappenoutofthinairbutaretheoutcomeofongoingcoordination,strategydiscussions,andpeopleputtingthemselvesindangerlongbeforetherestoftheworldknowswhat’shappening.ThestoryofRosaParksandthecivilrightsmovementremindsusoftwotruths:1)planning,training,anddatamatter,butattheendoftheday,theyaretoreinforceourgutinstinctsabouttherealityontheground;2)withgreatgainscomebacklash.

–EricWard,ExecutiveDirector,WesternStatesCenter

Page 3: Ten Strategic Recommendations for Funders · 2019-11-20 · Ten Strategic Recommendations for Funders 1. Human rights must become tangible at the local level. We must invest in work

UnderstandingtheTrends

• HumanRightsFundersNetworkandFoundationCenter’sAdvancingHumanRightsresearchfoundthat5%ofallphilanthropicfundinggoestohumanrights.

• ThankstoHRFN’sexpandingglobalnetworkandpartnershipswithAriadneandProspera,wehaveseenaremarkableincreaseintherepresentationoffundersfromoutsideoftheUnitedStates:thisnumberincreased63%from2011-2015.

• Keyfundingshifts:o Overallfundingforhumanrightsandsocialjusticeincreasedby45%.o FundingforEnvironmentalandResourceRightsmorethandoubled.o FundingforLatinAmericaandMexicodecreasedby12%.o FundingfortherightsofPeoplewithDisabilitiesdecreasedby23%.o FundingforstrategiessuchasGrassrootsOrganizingandLitigationandLegalAidnearly

quadrupled.PublicEngagementandAwareness-Raisingmorethandoubled.ResearchandDocumentationdecreasedby19%.

ReflectingontheTrends

• ItisdisappointingtoseethehumanrightscommunitymovingfundsfromLatinAmericawhentherearecriticalpoliticalandeconomicchallenges.AfocusoncountrieswithhighestlevelsofpovertyignoresthefactthatLatinAmericahasthehighestrateofinequalities.

• Withrespecttothe2013increaseinfundingtoenvironmentalandresourcerights,Iquestionwhyittooksolongforfunderstorespondtothesocioeconomiccontextthatwasincreasinglyrelevantinthe1990s?We’renowplayingcatch-up.

• Thedisabilityrightsmovementdemonstratedthatarights-basedtreatycanmakeadifferenceatglobal,nationalandlocallevels.Disabledpersonsorganizationshavesuccessfullyadvocatedfor64nationallawsandlegislativechangessincethetreaty’sadoption.

• Disaggregatingdatahasbeenkeytogettingpeoplewithdisabilitiesintodecision-makingspaces.Ournumbersaresmall,butwe’vedonesomuchwithsofewresources.

• Thedecreaseinfundingforresearchanddocumentationseemslikeareactiontotherealityofwhatworks.Youwouldnotbesurprisinganybodyinthehumanrightsmovementifyousaythe“NameandShame”traditionalreportsarenotaseffectiveastheyusedtobe.Therearelargertrendsthatdelegitimizethehumanrightsdiscourse.Thatsaid,weshouldbeexpandingfundingofotherapproachestoadvocacyanddiversifyingourtools.Howdowestopwritinglikelawyersandinsteadwriteanop-edthatwillinspirepeople?

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CivilMarriageCollaborative–ASuccessStoryofFunderCollaboration

• Fourteenfoundationspooledandleveragedfunding.Weinvestedinpublicopinionresearchandexplicitlyfocusedonstateefforts.

• TheLGBTmovementdidnothavethecapacitytorespondtothemulti-statebacklash.Fundersbroughtmovementleadersandfunderstogethertodevelopatwenty-yearstrategy.Funderscommittedtoresourcingit.Itwaschallengingforallofusto“putallofourcardsonthetable”butcriticaltodevelopingasharedstrategythatarticulatedthespecificrolesandcontributionsfordifferentmovementactorsandfunders.

• Evaluatetheinevitablesetbacks,learnfromthem,andembracetheconceptof“losingforward,”usingeachefforttoputgranteesandadvocatesinabetterpositiontowinthenextbattle.

Readmore:Hearts&Minds:TheuntoldstoryofhowphilanthropyandtheCivilMarriageCollaborativehelpedAmericaembracemarriageequality

WatchtheVideos(case-sensitivepassword:AHR2018)

- Welcome&OverviewoftheFindings- MorningSession:WhereHaveWeBeen?

o IntroductionofPart1byCaitlinStanton0:00-2:55o TimSweeney2:55-21:05o IntroductionofPart2byCaitlinStanton21:05-26:00o AnaMaríaEnriquez26:00-35:12o YumiSera35:12-41:55o ClaretVargas41:55-50:17o Questionswithfourpanelists50:17-1:29:41

- Keynote:EricWard- Workshop:MappingTheMoneyForYourWork- AfternoonSession:WhereAreWeGoing?

o IntroductionbyLesleyCarson:0:00-3:00o LeilaHessini3:00-14:35o ReganPritzker14:35-22:06o AlexWang22:06-30:57o ClosingbyMonaChunandLaurenBradford30:57-34:12